Theme of the Week: Learning Humility
Bible Verse: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. 4 Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others.” Philippians 2:3-4 CSB
Scripture Reading: Mark 10:35-45
Paul tells the Philippians to live this way because this is the way Jesus lived. Jesus is God, but he became a servant. He is the righteous judge but gave himself up to the verdict of wicked men.
This is the humility of our Lord: He had nothing to gain, yet he gave up all he had.
Everyone esteems the virtue of humility, but to step into the reality of our lives is to remember how contrary it is to our thinking. In so many ways, we are accustomed to building ourselves up—proving our worth, impressing people, vying to be noticed and honored. Ironically, we even hope to be recognized for our humility.
Try to give up wanting attention or praise for a day, and you will realize how pervasive our desire is to be lifted up. The desire to be lifted up is rooted in a lack of faith. We are worried about what others think because we are not convinced that God delights in us (Psalm 149:4). We are anxious because we do not believe God will meet our needs (Matthew 6:32). We vie for attention because we do not think God rewards what is done in secret (Matthew 6:6). We compare ourselves to others because we forget that Jesus is our righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30).
The simple practice of self-denial in Lent teaches us that those who trust God to meet their needs are free to consider the needs of others. They discover this gospel paradox: As long as I’m looking to get my needs met, I will never get my needs met. But when, by the power of the Holy Spirit, I begin to meet the needs of others, I find that God graciously takes care of my needs in the process (2 Corinthians 9:6–8).
The grace of God turns us into servants. Instead of demanding that we be served, we joyfully lay down our rights to serve God and others (Mark 10:43–45). Repentance must begin with humility, because even our repentance can be motivated by pride. We may turn from our ways only to protect our image or self-righteousness. So we look to Christ, who did not give himself to the approval of men but entrusted himself to the Father (1 Peter 2:23).
Taken from Journey to the Cross: Devotions for Lent, by Will Walker and Kendal Haug, ©2017.
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